Family life

LESSON 1. COURTSHIP, DATING,

AND MARRIAGE
LESSON 2. PREGNANCY-RELATED
CONCERNS AND PRE-
NATAL CARE
LESSON 3. RESPONSIBLE
PARENTHOOD, ROLES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
OF PARENTS AND
SUCCESSFUL FAMILY
LIFE
 Bangkok known as Krun Thep, which is Thai for “City of Angels,” beckons
with its golden roofed temples and spicily curried cuisine. Seven million visitors
come to Thailand each year spending an average of six to seven days because there
is so much to see and to relish in this “Exotic Orient” as one enamored traveller
dubbed the country.

Our agenda for the first day of our tour started with a tour of Wat Po. One of
the 370 temples in Bangkok alone, it is home to the famous Reclining Buddha,
which is said to be 46 meters long. Also world–famous are the golden Buddha at
the Wat Trinig (“wat” being Thai for “temple”) and the dazzling Emerald Buddha.
There are 2100 temples in all of Thailand, where 90 percent of the people are
Buddhists.

Our loquacious guide regales us with the colorful history of Bangkok and
how it became the imperial city 300 years ago, when the god-king Rama I moved
the royal residence to this side of the Chao Phraya River. Today, a boat excursion
takes visitors on a tour of the old city, winding down the “klong” canals for a
glimpse of the water dwellers and the ancient edifices, remnants of an era when
Rama I divided his city into three sections: for the Thais, the Chinese and the
Indians. The best buys of Thai silks, spices and crafts are still at the riverside
markets where one can also produce gold, jade and other precious jewelry.

Not to be missed are the Temple of the Dawn along the Chao Phraya, a
showcase of Chinese porcelain mosaics, and the Temple of the Giant Swing for
some of the finest murals. Only for strong knees is the Temple of the Golden
Mount, atop a climb of 300 steps, housing one of the largest bronze buddhas in the
world.

The Reclining Buddha was shipped from China by King Rama I, who also
built the Wat Po Temple on a 20-hectare compound adjacent to the Royal Palace,
circa 1782, in the 2222-old Chinese section. The King had also brought with him
excellent samples of porcelain, which the court artisans used to decorate pagodas
using their elaborate spires. At the main temple, devotees buy one–inch gold leaf
squares which they stick to smaller buddhas as offering to their god.
 Everyday, morning ceremonies are held at an adjacent temple
surrounded by four magnificent monuments: the first in red built by Rama I;
the second in yellow, by Rama II; the third in green by Rama III; and the fourth in
blue, by Rama IV. Just as fascinating is the sala tree under which, according to
legend, Buddha was born (although in India). Its pink and red flowers are sweet-
smelling, a contrast to the brown gourd which are the “fruit “of the sala tree.

To cap a hectic first day, we had dinner at the Baa Thai Restaurant while
watching heavily costumed folk dancers from the lowland and highland villages,
including favorite destinations, like Chiang Mai, the second largest city up north,
from whence one can visit the winter palace of the Royal Family and the training
school for working elephants.

Amazingly, Bangkok is clean, especially the day after Wednesday, which is

“Clean Up Day” according to our guide. So the sidewalk eateries are relatively
sanitary, although foreign visitors are advised to stick to bottled mineral water or
soft drinks. In spite of the colossal traffic jams, no thanks to the ubiquitous
“toktok” pedicabs , the air smells cleaner and less polluted than in Manila.